WaPo Paywall Hits Stages of Grief

Earlier this month, following (as usual?) the NYT, WaPo’s metered paywall went up. Now you get just 20 free articles before having to pay a minimum of $9.99 a month.

While this approach is working well for NYT and even now-independent blogger Andrew Sullivan, one does wonder what will happen when the entire media old guard is walled away. Will the average news consumer consider it something worth paying for, or will still free, less-established sources become the go-to and the vanguard?

Personally, WaPo’s paywall has not yet been much of a problem as we try to avoid the technological deathtrap any more than is necessary. But, it does seem seem some normal folks out there are starting to run up against it. We’re no psychologists, but we think we’re starting to see some of the stages of grief play out in social media.

Shock and Denial:

Washington Post paywall? 20 free articles, then $9.99+ per month. When did this start? I need to get a news piggy bank…

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